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review2010

2010 in review: September

A ‘final’ cost on Anglo Irish Bank, scorn for Conor Lenihan, and questions over Brian Cowen’s Morning Ireland performance.

1 September - Solicitor Ruairi O Ceallaigh was suspended from practicing after the High Court hears that he had gambled and lost €2.4m of his clients’ funds.

1 September - The body of Olympic boxer Darren Sutherland was exhumed for a second post-mortem examination, after the Northern Ireland state pathologist questioned the findings of the original exam. Sutherland had been found dead a year earlier at his flat in London.

3 September – Dermot Ahern outlined plans to tackle so-called ‘tiger kidnappings’ by putting a tax on people accessing cash from their ATMs, disincentivising users from carrying cash. The plans were ridiculed by the opposition.

4 September - Protesters threw shoes and eggs at former British prime minister Tony Blair at a book signing at Eason’s on O’Connell Street. Another tried to perform a citizen’s arrest on the former PM for his role in teh wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

5 September - Tipperary captain Eoin Kelly lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup following their sensational 4-17 to 1-18 win over Kilkenny in the All-Ireland senior hurling final. Henry Shefflin was taken off early injured after a heroic battle to overcome a cruciate ligament injury, as the Cats were denied a five-in-a-row.

7 September - The cost of borrowing for the Irish state breached 6% for the first time, amid fears that the state might not be able to shoulder the cost of bailing out Anglo Irish Bank.

8 September - The government announced plans to split Anglo Irish Bank into two new institutions, a ‘funding’ bank and a ‘recovery’ bank, with the latter institution to be wound down over time.

8 September - Protestor Vincent Keaney raised eyebrows after uploading a YouTube video showing him literally dancing on the grave of former Taoiseach, Charles Haughey. “Charles J, this is for everybody I know of that hates you,” he said.

10 September - Pastor Terry Jones cancelled plans to burn copies of the Qu’ran on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, a planned protest against the building of a mosque near the site of the World Trade Center.

13 September - Brian Lenihan says the December Budget will need to introduce a “minimum” of €3bn in adjustments.

13 September – The finance minister’s brother, science minister Conor Lenihan, came under international ridicule after it emerges that he will launch a book claiming to debunk the theory of evolution. Lenihan said he is attending the launch as a favour to a constituent, but later withdraws from the event.

14 September – A delayed Brian Cowen gave a nine-minute interview to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland in which he spoke with a particularly deep voice. Users on Twitter – including Fine Gael TD Simon Coveney – said the Taoiseach sounded like he had had a heavy night, leading Cowen to later call a press conference denying any incapacity.

Cowen ultimately apologised for the interview, putting his deep voice down to ‘congestion’, but insisted that the content of the interview was fine.

16 September – Legendary gaelic games commentator Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh announced his intention to retire after this year’s All-Ireland football final and international rules games, ending a 62-year commentary career.

18 September - Irish female boxer Katie Taylor won her third World Championship title in Barbados.

19 September - Cork ended a 20-year wait for All-Ireland football glory as they edged out Down by 0-16 to 0-15 at Croke Park.

20 September - Fine Gael’s deputy agriculture spokesman PJ Sheehan resigned from his post after it emergeed that he shrugged off the warnings of a Garda by driving home from Leinster House while drunk. Sheehan had told that Garda she would “get nothing when we’re in power”.

21 September - Twitter was hit by an ‘onMouseOver’ scam which automatically posted malicious messages whenever a user’s mouse scrolls over mysterious dark text.

22 September - The Commonwealth Games in India, which were already threatened with mass withdrawls over the state of the athletes’ village, were hit with further controversy when a roof collapsed in a weightlifting arena and a footbridge collapsed outside a stadium.

23 September - David Beckham said he would sue the publishers of inTouch magazine after it published a story by a prostitute claiming to have slept with him.

27 September - North Korean premier Kim Jong-il named his youngest son, Jong-un, a senior military general – fuelling speculation that he is likely to take over from his father.

27 September – Mary Coughlan was told she cannot travel to a trade conference in the United States because Fine Gael refused to offer a pairing for her Dáil vote. The spat was resolved when Labour’s Ruairí Quinn offered a personal pairing to allow her to travel.

29 September – A man was arrested after parking a cement truck in the gates of Leinster House. Joe Costello later faced charges in relation to the incident, which became known as ‘Cementgate’.

30 September - The Central Bank estimated a final cost of €29.3bn for the taxpayer’s involvement in Anglo Irish Bank, while AIB would be given a further €3bn in capital – bringing it under majority state control.

Now turn to October in review >